Slow Loris Rescue

The Plight of the Slow Loris

The slow loris in Indonesia is in serious danger of extinction and the greatest threat to its survival is the illegal trade in wildlife. Its huge brown eyes and soft fur make this small nocturnal primate highly prized as a pet and the victim of an online craze created by videos on YouTube. Thousands of slow lorises are poached from the wild and illegally sold on the street or in animal markets. The slow lorises' teeth are clipped off by the traders to make them easier to handle, resulting in the death of many of them from blood loss or infection before they are sold.

Our goal is to return as many slow lorises to the wild as possible. However, many of them have had their teeth cut out and may no longer be able to fend for themselves. Veterinary dental specialists are helping us determine whether these teeth can be repaired or replaced. We provide a permanent home at our centre for lorises that can never be released.

Our primate rescue centre is set in the beautiful rainforest of Ciapus, near Bogor, on the island of Java. It is about three hours' drive from Jakarta. The centre is the only one in Indonesia to specialise in the rescue and rehabilitation of slow lorises. The centre has a fully equipped veterinary clinic, spacious primate socialisation enclosures, a public education centre, accommodation for volunteers and visitors and a viewing platform for observing the animals. Set apart from the other buildings are quarantine enclosures for new or sick animals.

Working closely with universities and scientists, we are also carrying out research into successful rehabilitation and reintroduction programmes for slow lorises. A good number of lorises with their teeth intact have been released wearing radio collars and are being closely monitored by the team.

We also work closely with local authorities and the police to catch wildlife traffickers and dealers and bring them to court. Education of local communities and better law enforcement are vital if this endangered primate is to stand a chance of survival.

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Raising Awareness

"Tickling is Torture" Campaign

In June 2015 we launched the Tickling is Torture campaign with the aim of targeting the viral videos and images of slow lorises being kept as pets. These videos often get millions of views and only help to encourage the illegal trade of slow lorises. We're asking people to pledge not to support the illegal pet trade by not sharing or liking these videos/images and, if possible, directing people to the Tickling is Torture website.

The campaign has been a great success, at the time of writing (March 2016) we have had over 450,000 pledges and it continues to rise daily.

Latest News

Fifteen Javan slow lorises have been returned to their natural habitat in the Mount Sawal Protected Forest on the island of West Java.The shy, nocturnal primates will spend between two and four weeks in a habituation cage recovering from their long journey up the mountain and adjusting to their new... read more »

Latest Appeal

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A severely injured Javan slow loris, named Hima, is in the care of the team at our primate centre in Bogor, West Java after being handed in to the local Forestry Department. The female loris was found on a plantation by a local resident who caught her and handed her over for treatment... read more »

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In the event that we are successful in achieving our target for a specific appeal or rescue project, any excess funds from your kind donation will be used by International Animal Rescue to help other animals in similar need.